Door latch for pillarless automobile



Jan. 26, 1960 H. E. VAN vooRHEEs 2,922,672

nooR LATCH FOR PILLARLEss AUTOMOBILE Filed Aug. 15, 1957 9 Sheets-Sheet1 TTORNEY.

9 Sheets-Sheet 2 H. E. VAN VOORHEES DOOR LATCH FOR PILLARLESS AUTOMOBILEJan. 26, 1960 Filed Aug. 15, i957 Jan. 26, 1960 H. E. VAN vooRHEES2,922,672

DOOR LATCH FOR PILLARLEss AUTOMOBILE 9 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 15,1957 ATTORNEY.

Jan. 26, 1960 H. E. VAN vooRHEEs 2,922,672

' nooR LATCH FOR PILLARLEss AUTOMOBILE Filed Aug. 15. 195'? 9Sheets-Sheet 4 .4 TTORNEY.

Jan. 26, 1960 H. E. vAN vooRHEl-:s 2,922,672

DOOR LATCH FOR PILLARLESS AUTOMOBILE Filed Aug. 15, 1957 9 Sheets-Sheet5 INI/ENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Jan. 26, 196'() H. E. VAN vooRHEEs 2,922,672

I DooR LATCH FOR PILLARLEss AUTOMOBILE Filed Aug. l5, 1957 9Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR.

Jan. 26,1960 H. E. VAN vooRHEr-:s 2,922,672

DooR LATCH FOR PILLARLEss AUTOMOBILE 9 Sheets-Sheet '7 Filed Aug. l5,1957 A7' ORNEY.

Jan. 26, 1960 H. E. VAN vooRHEEs 2,922,672

DOOR HATCH FOR PS [LLARLESS AUTOMOBILE Filed Aug. 15, 1957 9Sheets-Shea?I 8 Ar ORA/EY.

Jan. 26, 1960 H. E. VAN vooRHEEs 2,922,672

DOOR LATCH FOR PILLARLEss AUTOMOBILE 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed Aug. 15,1957 ATTORNEY.

Unite States DOOR LATCH FR PILLARLESS AUTOMOBILE Application August 15,1957, Serial No. 673,272

8 Claims. (Cl. 292-11) This invention relates to automobile doorlatching means, and more particularly to improved latching means for apillarless four-door automobile.

One feature of the invention is that it provides improved door latchingmeans; another feature of the invention is that it provides an improvedmechanical and motor operated latch; still another feature oftheinventionis that the latch may be operated mechanically withoutoperation of the motor, as in the event of power failure; a furtherfeature of the invention is that it provides novel means for latchingthe front and rear doors to each other and to th'e automobile sill androcker panel; another feature of the invention is that it provides alatching system for a pillarless automobile wherein the front and reardoors are latched to each other vwith a hook type latch insuringV thatthe doors cannot be pulled apart; still another feature of the inventionis that it provides for locking the doors without the useof a key; yet afurther feature of the invention is that, in one form, the door may be.locked by the inside lock operator While the door is open and the doormay then simply be slammed shut and be locked without a key; yet afurther feature of the invention is that, in another form, a consciousact on the part of the operator (as depressing the outside push button)risnecessary to accomplish keyless locking; and another feature of theinvention isr that there is a main latch common to the front and reardoors, with mechanical means for releasing the latch to open the frontdoor to insure instantaneous release of the latch and electrical meansfor releasing the latch to open the rear door toavoid the necessity of acomplicated mechanical linkage system.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of an automobile having theimproved latching means, structure which underlies the outer panels ofthe automobile doors being shown in broken lines;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal section taken inside theouter frontend rear door panels, the latch being shown in side elevationand partly in section with the latch bolt in latching position;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but with the bolt inretractedvposition;

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section through the front door takenalong the line 4 4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section taken along the line 5 5 ofFig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a detail section through part of the latch operating meanstaken along the line 6 6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of the latch drive means in a modied formof the invention;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing a modied form of keylesslocking;

Fig. 9 is a vertical section taken along the line 9 9 0f Fig. 8;

atent Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig.l 2 but showing another modifiedform of the invention;

Fig. l1 is a View showing the rear door operating means of Fig. 3 takenalong the line 11 11 thereof;

Fig. 12 is a sectional view showing a portion of the sill latch;

Fig. 13 is a detail section through Va portion of the rocker panel takenalong the line 13 13 of Fig. l5;

Fig. 14 is a section showing the sill latch in elevation, taken alongthe line 14-14 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 15 is a similar section taken along the line 15-15 of Fig. l2;

Fig. 16 is a section through the bolt and detent of the sill latch takenalong the line 16 16 of Fig. l14;y

Fig. 17 is a view similar to Fig. 14 `but showing a modified form ofsill latch for use with the main latc'h of Fig. 8; and l Fig. 158 is aschematic diagram of an electrical circuit for operating the latchmeans. Y

This door latch is particularly designed for a pillarless four-doorautomobile of the type generally designated as 2t) in Fig. l. Theautomobile has a front door 22 hingedly mounted at its front side on thebody and a rear door 24 hingedly mounted at its rear side on the body,and the free edges of the doors lie closely adjacent each other when thedoors are closed. The hinge mountings for the doors may be conventionaland are not illustrated. The doors are of the so-called convertible typewhich do not have a window frame, so` consequently there is no means forlatching the doors to the side roo-f rail of the automobile.l The doors22 and 24 are latched Vto each other adjacent the belt line of theautomobile by a main latch designated generally as 26, and the frontdoor is latched at its lower rear corner to the automobile sill orrocker panel 27 by a subsidiary sill latch designated generally as 23,while the rear door is latched kat its lower front corner to the sill bya subsidiary sill latch designated generally as 30. The front door maybe opened from the outside lby means of a push button 32 mounted in afixed gripping handle 34, or the door may be opened from the inside bymeans of a remotely located handle 36 connected to the main latchthrough an actuating rod 38. The rear door may be opened from theoutside by means of` an outside push button 40 mounted in a fixedgripping handle 41 or the door may be opened from' the inside by meansof a remotely located inside handle 42 connected to the lrear door latchoperating means through a rod 44.

General description The front door 22 carries the main door latch 26,which latch has a pivotally mounted hook-shaped bolt 46 which isoperated mechanically through a spring or electrically through a motorand which is adapted to engage in a striker 48 on the rear door 24 tolatch the front and rear doors together. A reversible motor Sti isconnected through a conventional type gear box52 to a driving gearsector 54 which pivotally mounts an actuating link 56. At its upper end,the actuating link is connected to the main latch 26 for moving the boltbetween a projected or latched position as shown in Figs. 2 and 5 and aretracted or unlatched position as' shown in Fig. 3. As will appear fromthe description of the electrical system, the motor 5l? 'has aretracting circuit and a latching circuit. When the front door isopened, the bolt is released mechanically, but when the rear door isopened the bolt is 4released through the motor driven actuating link 56.When both doors are closed, the bolt is swung There is also amechanically operated subsidiary silll latch 2S at the bottom of thefront door 22 and an identical sill latch 30 at the bottom of the rearvdoor 24. These sill latches, which are shown in Figs. 12-16, anchor thebottom of the respective doors to the sill or rocker panel Z7.

When the front door inner remote handle 36 or outer push button 32 isoperated Ato open the door, the sill latch is released mechanicallythrough a rod S. At the same time a motor switch in the sill latch isoperated to close the retracting circuit to the motor 50. A motor drivenlinkage moves to retract the main latch bolt 46, although the bolt isactually more quickly retracted through a linkage mechanically coupledto the push button and remote handle. Since the bolt is releasedmechanically when the front door is opened, the door can be opened inthe event of power failure.

Operation of the rear door push button 40 or inside remote handle 42pulls up on a rod 60 to trigger the rear door sill latch 30. At the sametime, a switch is actuated to close the retracting circuit of the motor50 in the front door and release the main latch bolt to unlatch the reardoor from the front door. 'Iihere is no mechanical main latch releasemeans for opening the rear door.

Upon closing the door, door still switches are actuated to operate themotor 50 and project the bolt 46 to its latched position. The electricalcircuit includes interlocks to prevent the bolt 46 from being moved tolatched position when either door is open.

Operating circuit In order to control the reversible motor 50 there aresix single throw switches in the frontdoor and four single pole, singlethrow switches in the rear door. The ten switches are arranged in pairs,each pair having a common actuator. As shown in Fig. 1, in the frontdoor there is a pair of motor switches d and k, the switch a beingnormally closed and the switch k being normally open. Normal conditionsare taken to be when both front and rear doors are closed and the -mainlatch is latched. The front door also carries a pair of motor limitswitches (see Figs. 2 and 3) e (normally open) and f (normally closed)and a pair of sill switches d (normally closed) and g (normally open).In the rear door there are a pair of motor switches b (normally closed)and j (normally open) and a pair of sill Switches c (normally closed)and h (normally open).

'Ille motor switches operate the motor 50 to control the main latch 26when one of the doors is Aopened by the front or rear inner or outeroperating means; the limit switches deenergize the motor when the boltprojecting or bolt retracting cycle is completed; and the sill switchesoperate the main latch when the door is slammed shut and also provideaninterlock to lprevent projection of the bolt 46 unless both doors 22and 24 are closed so that the bolt and striker are in their properinterengaged positions. lf the' bolt were projected when one of thedoors was open, closing that door would cause the side of the Striker tosmash the side of the bolt, damaging the parts without consummating thelatching operation.

Assuming both doors to be closed, which is the condition shown in thewiring diagram in Fig. 18, the front door can be opened either by itshandle 36 or by its outside push .button 32. Manipulation of the frontdoor handle or the front door push button mechanically releases the bolt46, as later will be described, so that the bolt moves through the forceof a spring out of latching engagement with the striker 48; however itis necessary to operate the motor to locate the parts in position tomove the bolt back to latching position. At the same time, the rod S8which connects the main latch to the still latch triggers the sill latch28 so that the door can be opened. The conventional `sealing weatherstrip mounted on the body around the edge of the door opening will kickthe door slightly open when both bolts (the main latch and the silllatch) are released. As the rod 58 moves to trigger the sill latch, anactuator 58a on the rod 58 opens switch a in the motor latching circuitand closes switch k in the motor retracting circuit. In Fig. 18, thelatching circuit comprises that portion of the diagram located at theright of the motor 50 and the retracting circuit comprises that portionof the circuit located at the left of the motor 50. Both circuits areconnected to the 54 drives the actuating link 56 downwardly to aposition in which it can pick up the bolt (which is now retracted) sothat the motor can drive the bolt back to projected position when thedoor is closed. As the motor 50 pulls the actuating link 56 down, aswitch operating lug 56a on the link moves away from limit switch e,allowing it to close. is not energized. When the door is manually pulledopen, sillV switch d in the latching circuit is opened and sill switch gin the retracting circuit is closed, this latter switch providing aholding circuit around switch k so that the motor 50 remains energizedeven though switch k closes when the actuating rod 58 moves back to itsnormal position when the door handle or push button is released. Whenthe actuating link 56 reaches its fullyr retracted position, lug 56aoperates limit switch f in the retracting circuit to break the circuitto the motor 50.

When the front door 22 is slammed shut (assuming the rear door 24 to beshut) sill switches d and g are returned to the condition shown in thewiring diagram, switch d being closed and switch g Ibeing open. Theseswitches are operated by movement of the bolt on the sill latch to itsVlatched position as the door is closed. In Fig. `16 the switches d andg are shown as being located in a single housing. Both switches arecontrolled by a common operatingarm 130er and roller 1301; controlled bya switch operating lever 126 on the sill latch. If desired, the motorswitches a, k may be mounted on the sill latch 28 and be operated in amanner similar to switches d, g. Since the motor limit switch e is nowclosed and since motor switch a also is closed, a latching circut isclosed through switches a, b, c, d and e to energlze motor 50 and drivethe bolt 46 back to its latched posltion as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. Whenthe bolt reaches this latched position, the lug 56a on the actuatinglink 56 opens limit switch e to break the circuit to the motor.

In order to open the rear door, either the inside or outside operatingmechanism may be manipulated to pull up on the rod 60 which is connectedto the rear sill latch 30. An actuator 60a on the rod 60 opens switch bin the latching circuit of the motor 50 and closes switch j in theretracting circuit, thereby energizing motor 50 to retract the bolt 46.When the bolt reaches its retracted position, the vlug 56a on actuatinglink 56 opens limit switch f to bilealr the retracting circuit.. Whenthe rear door moves away from the rocker panel so that the bolt in therear sill latch 30 moves from latched to unlatched position, rear sillswitch c in the latching circuit is opened and rear sill switch h in theretracting circuit is closed, this latter switch providing a holdingcircuit around the motor Switch y so that the motor 50 continues to beenergized even though the rod 60 is returned to its normal posiiton whenthe manual operating mechanism is released. Sill switches c and h may bearranged and operated similarly to sill switches d and g in the frontdoor.

When the rear door is slammed shut (assuming the front door to beclosed), sill switch h is opened and sill switch c is closed, thislatter switch completing a latching circuit through motor 50 tordrivethe bolt 46 to latched position.

Since switch a is now open, the latching circuit Since the bolt 46latches the front door 22 to the rear door 24, the bolt must remainretracted so long as either door is open. Assuming ybeth doors to beopen and the front door to be slammed shut, the sill switch c in therear door will still be open so that motor 50 cannot be energizeddespite the fact that all the other Switches in the latching circuit areclosed. When the rear door is closed, sill switch c will close and motor56 will be energized.

Main latch The main latch 26 which is carried by the front door ismechanically triggered to open the door upon operation of either theoutside push button 32 or the inside remote handle 36. When the door isclosed, the latch bolt is driven to latched position by the motor 50.Consequently, upon opening the door (despite the fact that the latchbolt is triggered mechanically), it is necessary to drive the motor inunlatching direction to arrange the latching parts in position to pickup the bolt mechanism when Vthe bolt is to be projected. As shown bestin Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5, the hook-shaped bolt 46 is pivotally mounted onthe latch frame 64 by a rotatable stud 66. A coil spring 68 has itsinner end anchored on the stud 66 and its outer end hooked to a pin 70projecting from a flange part 64a of the latch frame. The springyieldably urges the bolt toward the unlatched position of Fig. 3 and thebolt is held in latched position by a foot 72a on adetent 72 which ispivotally mounted on a stud 74 on the latch frame and which is urged bya spring 76 into blocking relation with a shoulder 46b on the bolt.

The outside push `button 32 is slidably mounted in conventional mannerin a lock cylinder housing 78 and a push rod 80 projects out of theinner end of the lock cylinder for engagement with a pivoted operatingpawl 82 which is mounted on a pin 82a on a shiftable locking carriage83. When the push button is depressed, the pawl swings against theoperating lever 84 which is pivoted on a stud 86 on the latch frame,swinging the operating lever in a counterclockwise direction in Fig. 4so that a turned flange 84a on the operating lever engages a turnedportion 72c at the free end of the detent 72 and swings the detent outof blocking relation with the bolt, whereupon the spring 68 pivots thebolt from the latch position of Figs. 2 and 5 to the unlatched positionof Fig. 3. In Fig. 4 the detent is shown in unlatched position. When inlatched position, the portion 72e` of the detent is located down closerto the ange 84a of the operating lever.

Simultaneously, a ange 84h at the lower end of the operating lever 84swings a remote lever S8 in a clockwise direction as the parts appear inFig. 5. Referring to Fig. 5, the remote lever has three arms and ispivotally mounted at 90 on the latch frame adjacent the intersection ofthese arms. The remote lever has a short generally horizontallyextending arm 88a with a slotted end receiving the flange 8419 of theoperating lever 84 and an oppositely extending generally horizontal arm88h on the remote lever is connected at its end to the rod 58 whichextends down to the sill latch. The third arm 88C of the remote lever 88extends downwardly from the pivot 90 and is vconnected to the rod 3S foroperation by the inside remote handle 36.

As pointed out earlier, the subsidiary sill latch 28 is released throughthe rod 58 simultaneously with release of the main latch bolt 46 andthis operation closes the motor retracting circuit so that the motoroperates to locate the parts in their proper position to pick up thebolt 46 and drive it back to latched position. When the motor runs, thedriving gear sector S4 is turned in a clockwise direction in Fig. 5torpull down on the actuating link 56. At its upper end, the actuatinglink is pivotally connected to an actuating lever 92 which is pivoted atits other end on the stud 66. The lever 92 V-6 has a lug 92a which' maypick up a lug 46a projecting from the vbolt to move the bolt tounlatched position. An actuating pawl 94 is pivoted on a stud-96projecting from the actuating link 92 and an overcenter acting spring 98connects the parts 92 and 94 for holding the Vpawl 94 in an operativeposition or an inoperative position on the link 92. The pawl has a notch94a adapted to make driving connection with lug 46a projecting from thebolt when the pawl is in operative position as shown in Fig. 3. When thepawl is in inoperative position as shown in Fig. 2, the pawl is out ofthe way of the lug 46a and the pawl is disconnected from the bolt. Atail 94b on the pawl 94 is adapted to engage a stop block 100 when theparts approach latched position as shown in Fig. 2 to cause clockwisemovement of the pawl 94 relative to the actuating lever 92 and move thenotch 94a on the pawl away from the lug 46a on the bolt. When thepawlapproaches the position of Fig. 3, the tail 94b strikes a stop block101 on the frame to flip the pawl back to an operative position.

In order to lock the door, there is aflip lever 102 keyed to a stud 104which is pivotally mounted on the inner door panel. An inside ilip lever106 on the inner end of the stud has a free end formed with a slot 106areceiving a flange 108er on the inner end of a locking lever 108 whichis pivoted intermediate its ends on a pin 110 to the lock frame. Theouter end of the locking lever has a turned ange 108b With a slot which`receives a pin 112 projecting from the shiftable carriage 83 which ispivotally mounted on the latch frame at 113. This outside locking leveris adapted to be swung either upon rocking movement of the lever 108 orupon turning movement of a key in the key cylinder operating through thepush rod 80 to shift the carriage 83 between locked and unlockedpositions. A spring 115 holds the carriage in either position. Uponinside or outside locking operation, the carriage 83 swings to move thepivoted operating pawl 82 out of alignment with a ange on'the operatinglever so that the outside push button merely free wheels when depressedand the door cannot be opened from outside. As shown in Fig. 4, thelocking lever 108 and the operating lever 84 have complementaryprojections 108C, 84e adapted to abut when the door is locked. Theseabutting parts permit the door to be unlocked and opened upon operationof the inside handle 36.

Sill latch Figs. 12-16 show the front door sill latch to which the lowerend of the connecting rod 58 is attached. As shown best in Fig. 14, thelower end of the rod 58 is connected to a detent '116 pivotally mountedon the subsidiary latch frame 118 on a pin 120 and urged by a spring 122into holding engagement with the subsidiary latch bolt 124. The freebifurcated eind of the bolt is adapted to engage a striker 125 mountedon the rocker panel 27. As shown in Fig. 14, the bolt has a latchingshoulder 124a and a safety shoulder 1124!. Underlying the detent 1.16and also pivotally mounted on the pin 120 is a switch operator 126 whichis urged toward the bolt by a leaf spring 128. The switch operator 126is formed with a ange 126a overlying the upper edge of the detent sothat when `the detent is raised, the switch operator also is raised. Anarm 12611 on the switch operator ends in a right angle ange for cammingengagement with the bolt so that the operator, which may move in onedirection independently of the detent, is also controlled by the bolt tooperate the switches d, g at the proper time as the bolt 124 movesbetween latched and unlatched positions. As shown in Fig. 16, theswitches are controlled by a single actuating arm .130a which mounts aroller 130b for engagement by the switch operator 126.

Referring to Fig. 15, the lower edge of the door 2v2 carries a taperedguide stud 134 which, when the door is closed, enters a guide housing136 on the rocker n7 panel. Thespring-pressed shoe 138 Vin the housingahuts the upper surface of the guide stud 134 to insure tight wedgingengagement and assists in holding the door rmly closed.;

, Rear door operating mechanism As shown best in Figs. 2, 3, and 11, therear door striker 48 comprises a housing 140 with a forwardly openingrecess :142 for receiving the bolt, said housing having a` front lowerwall 140C: which, with the hooked nose of the bolt, forms an interlockto prevent the doors from being pulled apart.

Operation of the rear door outside push button 40 yor the rear doorremote handle 42 mechanically releases the rear door sill latch 30 andelectrically operates the main latch 26 through closure of theunlatching circuit to the motor. A three-armed remote lever144 which ispivotally mounted at the juncture of its arms on a pin 146 projectingfrom a mounting bracket 14S, has a rearwardly extending generallyhorizontal' arm 144e which is connected to the upper end of the rod 60which extends down to the rear sill latch 30. A shortforwardly'extending generally horizontal arm 144b on the remote lever144-is connected to the rear door outside push button operatingmechanism and a downwardlyexte'nding arm 144C on the lever 144isconnected by the rod 44 to Vthe'inside' remote handle 42. Operation ofthe remote handle 42 or the outside push button 40Y swings the lever 144in a clockwise direction in Fig. 2 to pull up on the rod 60 and triggerthe sill latch in the same manner as described in Figs. 14, l5 and 16 inconnection with the front door. The outside push button operates a Vpushrod 150 which abuts a pawl 152 pivoted on a shiftable carriage 155. Whenthe outer push button is depressed, the pawl swings inwardly to pick upa ilange156a on one arm of a bell crank 1 56 pivoted on a stud 158 andyieldably biased toward the pawl by a spring 160. A stop 162 (Fig. 1l)limits clockwise swinging of the bell crank. The `free end of the bellcrank terminates in a flange 156b *which is received in a slot in theend of the arm 144b of the rear remote lever 144 so that operation oftheoutside push button 40 (when in unlocked condition) swings the remotelever 144 clockwise as above described. When the motor 5 0 runs in anunlatching direction, a cam pin 157 projecting from the ac-v tuatinglink pivot engages a cam follower surface 72b on the detent and cams thedetent 72 out of latching engagernent with the bolt sothat the bolt maybe retracted by the spring 68 `or by the lug 92a, which may pick up lug46a on the bolt. At the same time, the motor runs to pull the motorlatching parts down to their unlatching position ready to engage thebolt to drive it back to latched position.

In the rear door there is no outside key lock; but there is an insidelocking means comprising a iiip lever 164 keyed to a stud` 166rotatably-journaled in the inner door panel and mountingon its inner enda crank 168 with a flange 168e which seats in a slot in the bifurcatedend of alever 170 which is pivoted intermediate its ends on a pin 172.The other end of the locking lever is connected to a pin 112 projectingfrom the shiftable carriage 155 so that when the flip lever 164 isoperated to lock the door, the pawl 152 is swung out of the path ofmovement of the outer push button operator 150 and this operator merelyfree wheels.

Mode 0f operation The front door 22 may be opened by means of the out-Vside push button 32 or the inside remote handle 36. When the pushbutton is operated, it acts Vthrough the push rod 80 and the pawl 82 toswing the lever 84 which in turn picks up the remote leverr88.Simultaneously, the lever 84 lifts the detent 72 in the main latch out.of holding engagement with the bolt 46 and the bolt is retracted by thespring 68. VThe rod 58 lifts the .detent 116 in the sill latch free ofthe silllat'ch bolt 1,24 and simultaneously 8 operates the motorswitches inthe manner earlier described so that .the linkage associatedwith the motor `is driven to retracted position. kIf the door is openedby means of the inside remote handle 36, the' same sequence of eventsoccurs except that the handle 36 operates directly on the remote lever88."

' The front door may be locked either by a key from the outside or bythe flip lever 102 on the inside of the car. In either event, the locklever 108 is swung to shift the carriage 83 and uncouplethe outsideoperating parts so that the outside push button 32 free wheels.

The rear door may be opened by means of the outside push button Y40 orthe inside remote handle 42. Actuation of either yone of these operatorsswings the remote lever 144 to lift up on the rod 60 and trigger thedetent in the sill latch 30. Simultaneously, the rod operates theswitches b, j to start the motor on its retracting cycle whereupon thecam pin 157 lifts the detent 72 in the main latch out of engagement with:the bolt 46 to permit the spring 68 to retract the main latch bolt.V Asthe motor and its associated parts move to retracted position, the lug92a picks up the lug 46a on the bolt and swings the bolt to retractedposition if the spring 68k has not already done so. i Y

When the doors are open, the interlock arrangement shown in the circuitof Fig. 18 prevents the latch circuit of the motor from being energizeduntil both doors are closed `so that the bolt 46 isnot moved to latchedposition by the motor driven gear 54 until both doors are closed.

Either the front or the rear door may be opened, put in locked conditionwhile open, and then slammed shut to lock the door from theoutsidewithout a key. Since the front doorA push button operator 32 isdisconnected from the lever 84 and since the rear door push buttonoperator 40 is disconnected from 4the lever 156, either door will belocked by this single step (i.e., the step of placing the 'parts ineither door in locked condition). The front door mechanism is arrangedto provide for so-called automatic undogging by the inside handle, thatis, when the door is locked, it still may be opened from the inside.vWhen the inside remote handle 36 is operated to swing the remote lever88in a clockwise direction in Fig. 5, the operating lever 84, whichis'connected to the remote lever, is swung in a counterclockwisedirection so thatthe projection 84C which, in locked position, abuts theprojection 108i.` on the locking lever 108, swings ythe locking lever108 up to its unlocked position. Similarly, the rear door may be openedfrom Vinside when Veither front or rear door is locked. Since the reardoor remote handle 42 is conf nected directly to the rear remote lever144, operation of the handle swings the lever to raise up on the rod 60.This triggers the sill latch 30 and also closes the, motor retractingcircuit to start the motor. As the actuating link 56 pulls down, the pin157 cams the detent 72 out of engagement with the main latch bolt. Y

Modified forms Y Fig. 7 shows a modified form of the invention in whichthe drive sector gear 54 of Figure 5 is replaced with a crank arm 200.This arm is connected to an output shaft 202 on the gear box'52 and the`free end of the arm 4is pivotally connected to the actuating link 56.Stops 204 and 206 are provided on the lock plate 64a for abutment by theactuating arm to limit coasting of the motor after the circuitV has beenbroken. In all other respects the structure ofV Fig. 7 is similar tothat of Fig. 5.

Figs. 8 and 9 show a modification of the main latch to obtain two stepkeyless locking, ie., keyless locking in which the parts must be placedin locked condition and also in which the operator must do a consciousact while closing the door in order to lock the door Without a key. Inthev structure of Figs. 8 and 9, it is necessary to depress the outerpush button while theY door is being closed in order toY achieve keylesslocking. Otherwise, the locking mechanism will be moved back .tounlocking condition as JIJ.

the door is slammed shut. Fig. 17 shows a sill latch which is used withthe main latch of Figs. 8 and 9.

In Fig. 8 an undogging pawl V210 is pivotally mounted at 212 on thelatch frame. The pawl has a hook end 210:1 adapted to engage the pivotedpawl 82 under certain conditions of operation to swing the pivoted pawl82 .and the cam'age 83 back to unlocked condition. The undogging pawl210 is formed as a bell crank and its other arm is connected to a rod214 which, as shown in Fig. 17, extends down to the sill latch and isconnected to an extension arm 116a formed integrally on the detent. Whenthe door is slammed shut, the operating foot of the detent will cam overthe bolt teeth since the bolt pivots from unlatched position to latchedposition as it engages the striker. This camming action of the detentwill pull down on the rod 214, swinging the undogging pawl incounterclockwise direction in Fig. 8 so that its hook end l210i: strikesthe pivoted pawl 82 and shifts it back to unlocked position. If,however, the outside push button is depressed while the door is beingslammed shut, the push rod Y8i) will move the pivoted pawl 82 out of thepath of movement of the undogging cam so that the pawl 82 will not beshifted back to unlocked position. Consequently, if the parts are placedin locked position while the door is open and the outside push button isdepressed while the door is being shut, the door will be locked withoutthe use of a key.

Fig. l shows a modification in which the motor and associated parts arereplaced by a hydraulic cylinder 220 mounting a piston 222. The cylinderis pivotally mounted on the door at 224 and a compression spring 226 inthe cylinder acts to drive the piston down in the cylinder. The pistonrod 228 is connected at its upper end to the actuating link 92. Thelower end of the cylinder is connected by a line 230 to the brake lluidreservoir or to some other hydraulic system in the car. In otherrespects, the modification of Fig. l0 is similar to the arrangementearlier described. The switches in the electrical circuit may beconnected in conventional manner to solenoid valves to control theoperation of the piston 222 in the cylinder.

While I have shown and described several embodiments of my invention, itis capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in theconstruction and arrangement may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A door latching system for a pillarless automobile having a body withfront and rear doors, the free edges of which lie closely adjacent eachother when the doors are closed, including: a main latch on one doorhaving a pivotally mounted bolt with a hook shaped latching nose; astriker on the other door for engaging said bolt to latch the doorstogether when the doors are closed, said striker having a recess with anupstanding wall behind which the nose of the bolt is received tointerlock the doors against longitudinal separation; a subsidiary latchon each of said doors for latching each door to the body; first controlmeans on the front door including a common actuator for the main latchand the front door subsidiary latch; and second control means on therear door including a common actuator for the main latch and the reardoor subsidiary latch.

2. A `door latching system for a pillarless automobile having `a bodywith front and rear doors, the free edges of which lie closely adjacenteach other when the doors are closed, including: a main latch on onedoor having a pivotally mounted bolt with a hook shaped latching nose; astriker on the other door for engaging said bolt to latch the doorstogether, said striker having a recess with an upstanding wall behindwhich the nose of the bolt is received to interlock the -doors againstlongitudinal separation; a subsidiary latch on each of said doors forlatching each door to the body; electrical means 4for operating saidmain latch; mechanical means for operating said main latch and foroperatingeach subsidiary latch;

viirst control means on the front door including a common actuator forsaid electrical means and for the mechanical operating means for themain latch and the front subsidiary latch; and second control means onthe rear `door including'a common actuator for saidV electrical meansand for the mechanical operating meansfor the rear subsidiary latch.

3. Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 2, wherein saidfirst-mentioned mechanical means are connected directly to the mainlatch, whereby the main latch is released mechanically ahead ofoperation by the electrical means. v

4. A door latching system `for a pillarless automobile having a bodywith front and rear doors, the free edges of which lie closely adjacenteach other when the doors are closed, including: a main latch on thefront door, said latch having a pivotally mounted bolt with a hookshaped latching nose, said bolt being movable between latched andunlatched positions; a striker on the rear door for engaging said boltto latch the doors together when the doors are closed, said strikerhaving a recess with an upstanding wall behind which the nose of thebolt is received to interlock the doors against longitudinal separation;a subsidiary latch on each of said doors for latching each door to thebody; electrical means for operating said main latch; first mechanicalmeans for operating the main latch and the front door subsidiary latch;second mechanical means for operating the rear door subsidiary latch;rst control means on the front door including a common actuator for saidelectrical means and for the mechanical operating means for the frontsubsidiary latch and the front main latch; second control means on therear door including a common actuator for said electrical means and forthe mechanical operating means for the rear subsidiary latch; andelectrical interlock means preventing operation of said bolt to latchedposition when either door is open.

5. A door latching system for a pillarless automobile having a body withfront and rear doors, the free edges of which lie closely adjacent eachother when the doo-rs are closed, including: a main latch on the frontdoor, said latch having a bolt movable between latched and unlatchedpositions; a striker on the rear door, said bolt engaging in saidstriker to latch the doors together when the doors are closed; asubsidiary latch on each of said doors for latching each door to thebody; electrical means for operating said main latch; mechanical meansfor operating said main latch and each subsidiary latch; first controlmeans on the front door including a common actuator for said electricalmeans and for the mechanical operating means for the main latch and thefront subsidiary latch; second control means on the rear door includinga common actuator for said electrical means and for the mechanicaloperating means for the rear subsidiary latch; and locking means foruncoupling the actuator in said first control means from the electricaland mechanical operating means.

6. A door latching system for a pillarless automobile having a body withfront and rear doors, the free edges of which lie closely adjacent eachother when the doors are closed, including: a main latch on the frontdoor, said latch having a bolt movable between latched and unlatchedpositions; a striker on the rear door, said bolt engaging in saidstriker to latch the doors together when the doors are closed; asubsidiary latch on each of said doors for latching each door to thebody, electrical means for operating said main latch; mechanical meansfor operating said main latch and each subsidiary latch; lirst controlmeans on the front door including an inside actuator and an outsideactuator, each of which is common to said electrical means and to themechanical operating means for the main latch and the front subsidiarylatch; second control means on the rear door including an inside actu-11 ator and an outside actuator, each of which is common to saidelectrical means and to the mechanical operating means for the rearsubsidiary latch; and locking means for uncoupling the outside actuatorof said first control means from the electrical `and mechanicaloperating means.

7. A door latching system for a pillarless automobile having a body withfront and reardoors, the free edges of which lie closely adjacent eachother when the doors are closed, including: a main latch on the frontdoor, said latch having a bolt movable between latched and unlatchedpositions; a striker on the rear door, said bolt engaging in saidstriker to latch the doors together when the doors are closed; asubsidiary latch on each of said doors for latching each door to thebody; electrical means for operating said main latch; lirst mechanicalmeans for operating said main latch Vand said front door subsidiarylatch; second mechanical means for operating said main latch and therear door subsidiary latch; rst control means on the front doorincluding inside and outside actuators which are common to saidelectrical means and to the mechanical operating means for the mainlatch and the front subsidiary latch; second control means on the reardoor including inside and outside actuators which are common to saidelectrical means and-to themechanical operating means for the rearsubsidiary latch; locking means including a shiftable member foruncoupling the outside actuator in said first control means from theoperating means; and undogging means including an undogging lever whichis mounted for movement as a function of closing of the door to shiftsaid locking means back to coupled relationship, said locking meansbeing movable out of the path of movement of said lever upon operationof saidroutside actuator when the door is being closed to retain thelocking means in uncoupled relation. v 8. Apparatus of the characterclaimed in claim 7, Where-V inthe main latch bolt has a hook shapedlatching nose and wherein said striker has la recess with an upstandingwall behind which the nose of the bolt is received to interlock thedoors against longitudinal separation.

-k References Cited in the ijle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,799,154 Beal July 16, 1957 Y`2,811,382, Harman Oct. 29, 1957.2,822,203 Griswold et al Feb. 4, 195 8 2,827,321 Leslie et al Mar. 18,1958

